I’m a sucker for a rhythm-based game. Ever since Parappa the Rapper, I’ve actively sought out games with a musical or rhythmic bent. Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and yes, even Donkey Kong Jungle Beat…I love games with rhythm. If you like a game with a bit of musical panache, you might want to check out: Frederic – Resurrection of Music Lite.

What is it and what does it do

Main Functionality

Frederic – Resurrection of Music Lite is a Mac game that sees you play as classical composer Frederic Chopin. You must take part in many musical duels, while also enjoying about an hour’s worth of animated interludes. The game is also available for iPhone and iPad. The full version costs $3.99.

Pros

• Great graphics
• Very funny dialogue
• 4 screen resolutions to choose from at startup
• 4 levels of difficulty to choose from

Cons

• Some players will find the cutscenes far too long and the music interludes far too short
• Lite version cuts off quite quickly into the story, though it still has a variety of difficulty settings to enjoy

Discussion

I heard rave reviews about this game when it first came out last year, but somehow I kept forgetting to download it. I happened to stumble across it earlier this week, and decided that I should probably cross this game off my “to do” list.

Frederic is a really interesting game. Most of the game revolves around musical duels. You must play along with the virtual piano, using either designated keys on your keyboard or by clicking on the screen with your mouse. The whole experience feels like a manic blend of a SquareEnix RPG, Scott Pilgrim, and Rock Band/Guitar Hero.

The game begins with Frederic Chopin waking up in a crypt in Pere Lachaise cemetery in the modern age. He is accosted by three of the Greek Muses of the arts, who give him a magic carriage and a magic piano. After that, you must face off against a number of characters in musical duels.

The full version of Frederic only lasts for nine battles, which seems a bit short. Of course, you can’t play through all those battles in the Lite version. The music used in the battles are real Chopin compositions, though they’ve been jazzed up a bit for modern video game fans. The music is super catchy, and the gameplay is quite addictive.

Conclusion and download link

Frederic is a really fun game, but I’m not sure it’s worth $3.99. Despite its awesome graphics, clever concept, fun gameplay, and  excellent music, this game feels too short…even in the full version. Still, if you’re a hardcore music fan or Chopin devotee, this is an interesting little diversion with a surprising amount of replay value.

Price: Free (Full Version of the game is $3.99)

Version reviewed: 1.1

Supported OS: OS X 10.6.6 or later

Download size: 411 MB

Frederic – Resurrection of Music Lite on Apple App Store